A quick drive to the New Orleans lakefront will take you to the heart of the Mediterranean this weekend. Just steer yourself to the Hellenic Cultural Center for the 38th annual Greek Festival.

Chuck Cook / The Times-PicayunePeople enjoy the food, music and weather on the bank of Bayou St. John at the annual 33rd annual Greek Fest at the Greek Orthodox Community of Holy Trinity Cathedral and Hellenic Cultural Center in New Orleans Saturday, May 27, 2006.

For this voyage, the only passport required is a desire to consume Greek food, drink Greek wine, and link arms with the folk dancers who circle and surge to the bouzouki-driven sound of a visiting Greek band. Oh, yeah, if you're older than 12, you'll need to pay $5 to enter the sprawling, grassy festival grounds alongside Bayou St. John.

Coming near the close of the spring festival season, Greek Fest feels like an all-ages, Hellenic bookend to the fun that began on St. Patrick's Day -- another event that lets me experience a heritage that isn't my own.

For the Irish, I dress in green. For Greek Fest, I always read aloud from "Zorba the Greek, " the celebrated novel by Nikos Kazantzakis, whose lively hero commands us to eat, drink, dance and love wholeheartedly.

Louisianians don't have a problem with that kind of list, except, perhaps, deciding where to begin.

More: The festival sponsors a foot race and a run/walk this evening. Call 504.467.8626 to register.

Most of the food is made by parishioners of Holy Trinity Cathedral, a Greek Orthodox institution that traces its history back to 1860s New Orleans. (Objects from the early days of the church will be displayed as part of the cathedral tours led by the Rev. Anthony Stratis.)

The recipes and the cooks come with some history, too.

"A lot of church ladies, mostly in their 70s and 80s, get together to make the pastries. It's a social thing for them -- and the rest of us get to enjoy the results, " Columbus said. About 20 different kinds of pastries will be on sale.

Other festival favorites include fried calamari, lamb sausage, stuffed grape leaves, a selection of Greek cheeses, and fragrant, spit-roasted lamb. Columbus estimates that 50 lambs will be roasted during the weekend.

This year, the festival is offering goat dishes for the first time: a traditional goat stew will be sold for take-out dining in the grocery area; grilled goat burgers will be available on the grounds.

"Try this food with Greek wine, " Columbus said. "We serve beer and other beverages, but this is really a festival for wine lovers -- and we make it affordable. It's part of the mix that goes into a traditional Greek family feast."

If your family includes small children, the festival offers face painting, inflatables, a rock-climbing wall and other activities. On Sunday, anyone can get free admission to Greek Fest by wearing a toga -- and that tends to bring out a big crowd of teens and college-age kids.

For me, however, Greek Fest stands out for its focus on cross-generational pleasures. The best place to see how that works is the dance floor, where crowds link arms and circle to the trilling of bouzoukis and mandolins. Sweating rarely looks like so much fun, but even if you don't step out, it's great to clap as the dancers spin past.

"You can watch our folk dancers do the steps in traditional costumes, but this is a party for everyone, " Columbus said. "If you join in and learn a few steps, you'll still know what to do 50 years from now. The only thing different will be all those grandchildren dancing around you."